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Australia reports first case of H5 bird flu, virus spreads to every continent

Scientists have detected the H5 strain of bird flu in Australia for the first time, meaning the highly contagious variant has now spread to every…

By Samantha Johnson / June 20, 2026
Scientists have detected the H5 strain of bird flu in Australia for the first time, meaning the highly contagious variant has now spread to every continent.
Australian Agriculture Minister Julie Collins told a press conference on Saturday that the disease had been found in a migratory sea bird, a brown skua, in remote Western Australia, and the result was confirmed by the national science agency.

Samples from another sick bird, a giant petrel, had also shown as a suspected positive result, she said.

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Australia was previously the only continent where the H5 strain, which can devastate poultry and wild bird populations, had not been detected.

“Whilst disappointing, this is not unexpected, given the global spread of the H5 bird flu,” Collins told reporters in Canberra.

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“I can confirm there is still no evidence of any mass mortalities at this time, nor is there any evidence of infection in any poultry,” she said.

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